Russian equities finished the Wednesday session in negative territory as sector-level declines in Oil & Gas, Manufacturing and Power pressured the benchmark. At the close in Moscow, the MOEX Russia Index was down 0.54%.
Among individual movers, aluminium producer OK Rusal MKPAO (MCX:RUAL) led the gainers, finishing up 3.84% - a rise of 1.55 points to 42.06. Natural gas producer NOVATEK PJSC (MCX:NVTK) added 2.45%, increasing by 30.60 points to close at 1,280.50. Nickel and palladium miner MMC NORILSK NICKEL PJSC (MCX:GMKN) also posted a positive result, rising 2.29% or 3.60 points to 161.40 late in the session.
On the downside, TATNEFT n.a. V.D. Shashin Pref (MCX:TATN_p) was the weakest performer, falling 2.22% - a decline of 12.90 points to end at 568.90. Flag carrier Aeroflot PJSC (MCX:AFLT) slipped 1.91% or 1.03 points to 52.83, while oil major LUKOIL PJSC (MCX:LKOH) retreated 1.79%, down 98.00 points to 5,385.00.
Market breadth on the Moscow Stock Exchange showed 132 rising issues, 112 decliners and 9 stocks unchanged.
The Russian Volatility Index - RVI, which tracks implied volatility in options on the MOEX Russia Index, moved up 0.64% to 23.75 and was recorded as a new 1-month low.
Commodities traded higher overall. Gold futures for April delivery gained 0.57%, rising by 29.24 to $5,152.94 a troy ounce. Crude oil for April delivery increased 1.65% or $1.23 to $75.79 a barrel. The May Brent contract also climbed, up 1.06% or $0.86 to $82.26 a barrel.
Movements in currency pairs against the ruble were notable. The U.S. dollar rose 0.30% versus the ruble to 77.88 USD/RUB, while the euro gained 0.55% to trade at 90.67 EUR/RUB. The U.S. Dollar Index Futures was down 0.25% at 98.76.
Summary takeaways:
- The MOEX Russia Index closed lower by 0.54%.
- Top session winners included RUAL, NVTK and GMKN; notable laggards were TATN_p, AFLT and LKOH.
- Market breadth slightly favored advancing stocks, and key commodities and FX pairs posted gains.